Los Altos woman accused of stabbing husband at work in Redwood City pleads insanity

By Bonnie Eslinger

Daily News Staff Writer

Posted:
05/24/2013 06:06:45 AM PDT

Updated:
05/24/2013 06:07:06 AM PDT

The trial of a 52-year-old Los Altos woman accused of stabbing her estranged husband while wearing bubble wrap abruptly halted this week after her attorney announced she would enter a new plea -- not guilty by reason of insanity.

If convicted, Laura Jean Wenke could have faced life in prison for attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and assault with a stun gun. Wenke pleaded not guilty a year ago to all of those felony counts.

According to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office, Wenke went to the couple's Redwood City construction business on Sept. 15, 2011, dressed in a mechanics jumpsuit with bubble wrap underneath. She approached her husband while he sat at a computer, discharged a stun gun into his side and stabbed him several times in the neck and chest.

Wenke and her husband, who have a son in elementary school, were going through a bitter divorce and she was unhappy that her husband had a new girlfriend, according to prosecutors. He also had a $2 million life insurance policy that still listed Wenke as beneficiary.

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On Wednesday, jury selection for the trial was underway when Carr informed the court that a psychiatrist he had hired -- James Missett -- evaluated Wenke and concluded she was not sane at the time of the stabbing. Judge Stephen Hall then declared a mistrial and discharged the jury, according to the district attorney's office.

Wenke entered an insanity plea Thursday and the court appointed two doctors to assess her mental health. Their reports are due to the court on July 19.

Carr said his client had been on psychotropic drugs for about a year leading up to the stabbing for "troubles before in her life," though it isn't yet known how the "low lying psychiatric problem had become a much more difficult one." It could have been triggered by stress or the negative side effects of the drugs Wenke took, Carr said.

District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said Missett is a highly respected doctor whom his office has retained for cases.

"It doesn't mean I'm going to agree with him," Wagstaffe said. "I'm very interested to see what the (other) doctors have to say."